Rail Skiff Build

[Steve Sanford]

SJ~

Elegant solution! (One I have used in my gunning coffins forever....) I use my router to round the edges after I 'glass the outside.



From the same design school: Howzabout boring a hole (5/8" or 3/4"( crosswise through your stem/cutwater? It's an old idea - but from the pre-trailering days. It was intended for a painter, nicely eye-spliced into place. Here is one on an old Great South Bay Scooter:



The painter should thick enough (half-inch?) for a comfortable hand hold AND just short enough so it cannot foul in your prop.... You may want another eye-splice on the leading end - or a whipped end tied in a figure-8.

BTW: If you think you may anchor this vessel, I would mount a 6-inch cleat (oriented vertically) inside the boat - on your "vertical trim" piece. A deck fairlead - or a bit of leather tacked in place - could prevent chafe.

All the best,

SJS

 

[Steve Sanford]

SJ~



On my Scooter, I did not want to penetrate the new 'glass skin and give moisture a ready pathway inside. So, instead of boring crosswise, I made this bronze loop - for both my bow anchor and my trailer hook.



Smaller screws and lots of 3M 5200 for bedding. On youre vessel, the aft fasteners could be machine screws through the plywood. The soft bronze is easily ground (sanded, actually) off inside for safety. and finished appearance.



It has served me well.



All the best,

SJS

 

[SJ Fairbank]

SJ~

Elegant solution! (One I have used in my gunning coffins forever....) I use my router to round the edges after I 'glass the outside.

View attachment 67209

From the same design school: Howzabout boring a hole (5/8" or 3/4"( crosswise through your stem/cutwater? It's an old idea - but from the pre-trailering days. It was intended for a painter, nicely eye-spliced into place. Here is one on an old Great South Bay Scooter:

View attachment 67208

The painter should thick enough (half-inch?) for a comfortable hand hold AND just short enough so it cannot foul in your prop.... You may want another eye-splice on the leading end - or a whipped end tied in a figure-8.

BTW: If you think you may anchor this vessel, I would mount a 6-inch cleat (oriented vertically) inside the boat - on your "vertical trim" piece. A deck fairlead - or a bit of leather tacked in place - could prevent chafe.

All the best,

SJS

Like you, the boat is already glassed. I think it's easier than messing with the glass around a penetration.

The original boat has a hole through the stem. There isn't enough meat in the stem of this boat for a hole which I would feel safe using, or I would have done it.

I've already messed with the idea of a cleat on that vertical piece. A cleat mounted there is Plan B if I don't become comfortable drilling for the bow eye. I believe we will tow this boat to some of the hunting spots. As with the stem, the trim is a little shaky to trust with a line sufficient to tow, plus the chafe potential as you mention.

 

[RM Anderson]

May as well throw my hat in the ring. On my Poleboat, I used pvc tubing secured with homemade epoxy putty and some cloth reinforcement on the inside. RM

 

[Richard Lathrop]

SJ~

View attachment 67213

On my Scooter, I did not want to penetrate the new 'glass skin and give moisture a ready pathway inside. So, instead of boring crosswise, I made this bronze loop - for both my bow anchor and my trailer hook.

View attachment 67214

Smaller screws and lots of 3M 5200 for bedding. On youre vessel, the aft fasteners could be machine screws through the plywood. The soft bronze is easily ground (sanded, actually) off inside for safety. and finished appearance.

View attachment 67215

It has served me well.

View attachment 67216

All the best,

SJS

Steve,

Was that a common item? Saw a similar bow loop on Ebay.

 

[Steve Sanford]

Good morning, Rick~

Actually, I dreamed up the loop for my Scooter - necessity being the mother of invention and all.... It certainly provides more proof that "There is nothing new under the sun."

I always regard such coincidences as "convergent evolution". Given a set of design criteria, many different workers will arrive at the same/similar solution - independently.

All the best,

SJS

 

[Steve Sanford]

May as well throw my hat in the ring. On my Poleboat, I used pvc tubing secured with homemade epoxy putty and some cloth reinforcement on the inside. RMView attachment 67228

RM~

Just a couple of days ago I happened across a similar "loop hand grab" I had made many years ago. It is on the stern of my Sweet Gherkin ( https://stevenjaysanford.com/sweet-gherkin/ ) - which hangs in my loft. (I may bring it to Tuckerton and plan to hunt it locally later this year.) So, you sent me out and up to snap a couple of quick photos.


I short-spliced some 3-strand manila for the hand grab. The lighter braided nylon is suspending the vessel itself.


I like the way you lined the hole through your stem with PVC - good thinking!
All the best,
SJS